California salon ‘melts’ a woman’s hair. Her demands of justice turns her into a ‘known scammer’ facing threat of a lawsuit

A California woman says a hair salon threatened to sue her after she left a negative Yelp review, sparking a public online dispute that has gone viral on TikTok. Sara W., known as @haussdrama on TikTok, went to Studio Z, a hair salon in Norco, California, where her hairstylist allegedly “melted” her hair following serious miscommunications. She shared her experience on TikTok and left a negative Yelp review, but the salon’s response made things much worse.

Sara had visited Studio Z at least four times before this incident. She had previously darkened her natural level-6 hair with one stylist there, and when that stylist moved out of state, she was referred to a co-worker named Lilly. Sara was clear about what she wanted, sending reference pictures via text and discussing the treatment before her appointment. Things went wrong during her appointment with Lilly.

The process involved applying “Malibu CPR” to her hair for 45 minutes, then bleaching it for 20. According to The Mary Sue, Lilly toned Sara’s hair twice, and when Sara saw the results, she was upset, her hair looked orange with streaks, not natural at all. Lilly tried to fix it the next day, but the color correction attempt damaged Sara’s hair even more. Sara described her hair as “fried” and said Lilly essentially “melted” it off. 

The salon owner’s response made things significantly worse by calling a repeat client a scammer

Lilly allegedly blamed Sara, saying melted hair was normal and expected because Sara’s hair was already fragile from a previous bleach job. She refunded the treatment, though it is unclear exactly when. Sara then left a negative Yelp review, stating she would need to find another professional to fix her hair.

Her review was not entirely negative, she wrote, “I love the salon but don’t ever go to Lilly. It’s sad [because] I really liked this salon but the owner needs to send Lilly back to school before she butchers another person’s hair.”

However, salon owner Jaime Zobrist responded by calling Sara a “known scammer.” “Hi all! This girl is a known scammer,” Zobrist wrote. “She reviews places and gives a bad review and shouts it from the rooftops about her ‘bad experiences’ to [elicit] a refund. She’s done this to several businesses, and this case is no different.”

This kind of escalating conflict between a business and a customer is not unheard of online, similar to how a Jeep owner’s dealership dispute spiraled out of control when she returned for help. Zobrist also made a comment about Sara’s pregnancy. “Maybe coming in at 36 weeks pregnant isn’t a good time to [decide to] do something drastic and new to your hair,” she added. 

She also allegedly threatened Sara with legal action, sending private messages that included screenshots of Sara’s TikTok account and stating, “I have found your social media and you are liable for libel.” Even Lilly posted her own TikTok video responding to the situation, though she later made her account private.

Sara posted a direct response video, countering Lilly’s claims that she had explained the risks beforehand. Online disputes like this one often bring out surprising behavior, much like a woman who got revenge on a cheating partner and went viral for it.

After Sara’s review and TikToks, Studio Z’s Yelp page was flooded with negative reviews. Many people were critical of Zobrist’s response, especially calling a four-time client a “scammer.” Other Yelp reviewers noted that Zobrist appears to have a pattern of responding aggressively to negative feedback.

A month before this incident, Zobrist responded to another one-star review about poorly trained stylists by saying, “Everyone starts somewhere and leaving a review being vague and pointing fingers at me, the owner, is ridiculous since I’m trying to give even newer stylists the opportunity to grow. You have said you wont return, but I’m going to go one further and say you may not return.”

What can you do to fix a bad haircut before heading back to the barber? According to GQ, you should assess the cut before making your next move. If you are certain that the cut is not working, you should try to style around it. Volumizing and texturizing products can work wonders in transforming a haircut you’re not keen on, buying you time while it grows out. 

Can you sue your barber for a bad haircut? Law By Mike says you can sue for emotional distress, but you should not expect a huge payday unless you pick up a serious injury or the haircut is outrageously bad. As Mike puts it, it has to be “moving your hairline to the top your head” bad.